Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a hanging system for installation on an interior surface of a frame used to display a diploma, a photograph, artwork, a mirror, shadowbox or any other object to be framed.
Description of Related Art
Conventional frames are used to display a diploma, canvas, photograph, artwork, mirror, shadowbox or any other object to be framed. Frames made of wood are particularly prevalent; however, other materials may be used. A closed frame, typically in the form of a rectangle or square, is formed by assembling one or more frame sections end-to-end.
Framed objects are generally hung from the wall using a wire. The use of a wire creates instability in the object being hung when the wire slides along the hook secured to the wall and/or the object bangs against the wall on which it is hung. Thus, a frame that is level when initially hung, thereafter may slide along the wire from the hook on which it is hung so that it no longer is level. Moreover, when hanging a framed object using a hook and wire it is difficult to maintain the back surface of the frame completely flush against the wall. Instead, only the bottom edge of the frame physically contacts the wall, while the top edge of the frame held by the wire pulls or sags away from the wall. It is thus desirable to develop a hanging system and apparatus that eliminates the use or need for any hanging wires and separate complementary mating frame hanger components mounted only to the wall while insuring that the frame is stable and completely flush against the wall or other surface on which the frame is hung.
A large volume of today's retail market consists of consumer purchases over the Internet without ever entering a brick-and-mortar retail store. In some limited occurrences, Internet purchases may be physically picked up at a local brick-and-mortar retail store. However, in the preponderance of cases today, and a predicted exponential number in the future, an Internet purchased item is shipped directly to the intended recipient at his/her desired address, rather than being picked up at a physical retail store. When designing a frame hanging system it is therefore desirable to take into consideration several factors including, but not limited to, minimizing the overall cost of manufacture, minimizing the overall size and weight that would otherwise contribute to shipping cost, and minimizing any installation/assembly associated with hanging the framed object once it has been received by the consumer using only conventional tools found in most households.
It would be desirable to develop an inventive hanging system for a framed object that addresses each of these constraints.